Starfire and the Seven Tiny Titans
by Daniel Fielder
Summary: To escape her jealous sister, Princess Starfire finds shelter in the home of seven orphans.
1. I'm Wishing

I was inspired to do this by Jsrashad's Snow White and the Seven Peanuts project.

Disclaimer: Snow White belongs to Disney, and Teen Titans, and any other DC characters I use, belong to Warner Brothers and their respective creators.

* * *

 **Starfire and the Seven Tiny Titans**

Chapter 1: I'm Wishing

Once upon a time, the queen of a humble but prosperous kingdom on the planet Tamaran was knitting by the window. She was knitting an outfit for her expected second child.

"I cannot wait to tend to a baby again." The queen said.

She had an older daughter named Blackfire who was already an adolescent, but something about her made the queen uneasy. Blackfire was beautiful, strong, and brave, but she was vain about her looks and dangerously interested in dark magic and could get extremely jealous. As the queen continued to knit, she pricked her finger, and a drop of red blood fell on a small orange banister she was sitting near with emeralds encrusted in it. She liked how it looked together.

"How lovely my child would be if she had skin as perfectly colored as this banister, like a star, with blood-red hair… Like a rose… And eyes like emeralds."

Shortly after this wish, her second daughter was born, but the queen used a good deal too much of her strength to bring the child into the world, so she only had enough strength to see that she was exactly how she dreamed she'd look, and she named her Starfire. Shortly afterwards, the king, Galfore, died as well, and Starfire was raised by her elder sister, now the Queen of Tamaran.

Starfire was lovely and full of life and laughter and very in tune with her emotions. Blackfire, however, feared that one day, Starfire's beauty would surpass her own. Because of this, she usually dressed Starfire in rags except for very special occasions where she couldn't afford to without appearing weak to her allies. Despite this, Starfire still enjoyed life and dreamed of the day she'd find the man she would love.

Every day, Blackfire went to a magic mirror she'd bought after her father's death and asked, "Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of all?" And as long as the mirror replied that she was the fairest, Starfire would live for another day, safe from her sister's jealousy…

()()()()()

Blackfire walked over to the mirror. It had been ten years since her father's death when she ascended to the throne of Tamaran, and she enjoyed it immensely. It was time for her daily check to make sure she was still on top of the beauty game. She could tell sixteen years ago when Starfire was born that her mother cared more about Starfire than her, and she could not afford to let that happen with her subjects. They might overthrow her… Or worse, take her off their money!

She arrived at the mirror and raised her hands as she recited the incantation.

"Slade, slave of the magic mirror, come from the farthest space." Blackfire recited as she crossed her arms. "Through wind and darkness, I summon thee. Speak! Let me see thy face."

In a burst of flames, the face of Slade appeared… If you could call it a face as only a mask with a moving eye appeared. The mask was black on the right side, orange on the other. The eye stared blankly at her.

"What wouldst thou know, my queen?" Slade asked in his usual monotone voice.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall," Blackfire recited. "Who is the fairest of them all?"

"Famed is thy beauty, majesty." Slade responded as his eyes widened slightly. "But hold… A lovely maid I see. Rags cannot hide her gentle grace. Alas, she is more fair than thee."

"Alas for _her_!" Blackfire spat out as her eyes glowed purple. "What's her name?!"

"Hair red as the rose." Slade responded calmly. "Eyes green as emeralds. Skin orange as a star."

"Starfire!" Blackfire said through her teeth as purple smoke emitted from her eyes.

()()()()()

Starfire was washing the stairs of the palace as she hummed to herself. She was almost done, and she was happy for her good life. True she had to work every day, but it had helped keep her strong, and she knew that when she got married, she'd be able to have a family again. She had missed that part of her life when she had a father _and_ a sister. She had made friends with all the other planetary ambassadors that lived on the planet.

She finished the stairs and sighed contentedly as she picked up the pail and prepared to put it back in the well as several Do-Birds, small white birds that appeared throughout the palace, watched her. She put the pail in and looked at them.

"Wanna hear a secret?" Starfire asked.

The Do-Birds nodded. Starfire had a way with animals. They were her closest friends here.

"Promise not to tell?" Starfire asked again, and the doves shook their heads.

" _We are standing by a wishing well._ "

Starfire then pointed at the hole in the well.

 _Make a wish into the well,_

 _That's all you have to do._

 _And if you hear it echoing,_

 _Your wish will soon come true._

Starfire then put her head near the well.

 _I'm wishing… (I'm wishing…)_

 _For the one I love,_

 _To find me… (To find me…)_

 _Today. (Today.)_

 _I'm hoping… (I'm hoping…)_

 _And I'm dreaming of,_

 _The nice things… (The nice things…)_

 _He'll say. (He'll say.)_

Had Starfire known it, that day, a person from a planet called Earth was passing by the palace when he heard Starfire singing. His name was Robin, and he had been helping his mentor and friend, Batman, save the ambassador from an assassination attempt by a jealous aid. Robin thought it was the nicest, sweetest voice he'd ever heard and hopped over the wall to see who it was and saw a Tamaranian girl, the prettiest one he'd ever seen, and her kind nature, which he could easily see on her face in the way her eyes looked in conjunction with her mouth's movements, only made her more beautiful.

Starfire continued singing as the well echoed back.

 _Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha. (Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha.)_

 _Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha. (Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha.)_

 _Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha. (Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha.)_

 _Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!_

 _I'm wishing… (I'm wishing…)_

 _For the one I love,_

 _To find me… (To find me…)_

 _Today._

" _Today!_ " Robin sang out as he appeared next to Starfire.

"Oh!" Starfire exclaimed as she jumped back. The boy had caught her by surprise.

"Hello." The boy said. "My name is Robin. I didn't frighten you, did I?"

Starfire ran off as she didn't want someone she'd just met to see her in her work clothes.

"Wait." Robin called out. "Wait please! Don't run away."

Starfire ran into the castle, but Robin called out.

 _Now that I've found you,_

 _Hear what I have to say!_

Starfire then walked out against her first instinct and listened.

 _One song, I have but one song._

 _One song, only for you._

Starfire swooned and tidied herself up as best as she could.

 _One heart, steadily beating._

 _Constant and true!_

Starfire looked down and found herself falling in love with him as he fell in love with her.

 _One love that has possessed me._

 _One love, brimming with truth._

 _One song, my hear keeps singing._

 _Of one love, only for you._

Starfire smiled and flew down as she kissed Robin gently on his cheek.

"I am Starfire." Starfire said. "I am doing the hoping that I see you again."

"Me too." Robin said. He kissed her hand and went off.

()()()()()

Unknown to either lover, Blackfire watched from a high up window and scowled. Starfire would pay for putting her at number two again.

* * *

Well… This idea just came with me, so I went with it. Please tell me what ya think.


	2. With a Smile and a Song

Chapter Two: With a Smile and a Song

Shortly after Starfire met Robin, Blackfire was talking to the Thanagarian ambassador, Katar Hol, who had sworn to serve her as part of a pact she made to help the Thanagarians with their war against the Gordanians.

"Take her far into the forests of Earth." Blackfire said. "Find a nice secluded place where she can pick wild flowers."

"Yes your majesty." Katar said.

"And there, my faithful friend, you will _kill_ her." Blackfire said with a mad glint in her eyes.

"But your majesty, the little princess-" Katar argued before Blackfire stood up, and her eyes glowed purple.

"SILENCE!" Blackfire ordered. "You know the penalty if you fail."

The penalty would be that Katar's wife, Shayera, and their family would all be executed, and Katar would be forced to watch.

"Yes… Your majesty…" Katar said in a defeated voice.

"And just to make sure that you don't fail, bring back her heart in this." Blackfire pulled out a red box with golden trim. The lock was a golden heart with a golden dagger cutting into it.

()()()()()

A few days later, Katar took Starfire to Earth, where he was known as Hawkman for the hawk-like wings sprouting out of his back. Starfire was walking through a forest on Earth that she had never been to, and she was excited about all the lovely flowers there. She also hoped that she'd meet Robin there before she had to go back home.

 _One song, I have but one song._

 _One song, only for you._

She hummed the song he sang to her, their song, to herself as she picked as many wild flowers as she could carry, which was quite a lot thanks to her strength. Suddenly, she saw a small blue bird chirping not far off.

"Oh hello there." Starfire said as she turned to the baby bird. "What is being the matter?"

The bird chirped fearfully, and Starfire recognized it as the fears of a lost child.

"Where are your mother and father? Are you lost?" Starfire asked, and the bird began to cry. "Oh, please do not cry. Come on, do the cheering up. Will you not smile for me?"

The bird chirped happily.

"That is being better." Starfire said encouragingly. "Your mother and father cannot be far away. Oh, there they are. Good-bye little one. Good-bye."

The bird flew off to his parents as Starfire smiled.

()()()()()

Katar meanwhile, pulled out his Nth Metal Axe and held it loosely as he walked to Starfire. Just after Starfire helped the bird find his parents, Katar raised his axe as Starfire turned around and screamed. She prepared to defend herself as best she could against the axe, but she knew that not even the most durable of beings could stand up to such weaponry when Katar dropped his axe.

"I can't." Katar said. "I can't do it. Forgive me, your highness. I beg you."

Katar fell to his knees and bowed his head.

"I do not understand." Starfire said in a confused voice.

"She's mad." Katar said. "Jealous of you! She'll stop at nothing!"

"Who?" Starfire asked.

"The queen, your sister Blackfire!" Katar said.

"Sister?" Starfire said. Her eyes filled with tears. How could her sister do such a terrible thing?

"Run for it, child!" Katar said. "Run! Go away and hide in the woods! Anywhere, just never come back! Go!" Starfire still stood there nervously. "GO!"

Starfire flew off low into the forest as Katar picked up his axe and walked to a nearby wild boar. He'd give the queen something alright.

()()()()()

Starfire ran into the woods, and in her panicked state, every tree seemed to have eyes, and their branches were clawed hands trying to reach out and grab her! She eventually fell down into a pond, and when she got up, she saw two logs that seemed to be alligators and ran out where she was surrounded by frightening trees that starred at her darkly before she screamed and fell crying. She couldn't muster the courage or confidence she needed to defend herself. It was all over.

()()()()()

As she cried, she realized something, no one was attacking her. She looked up to find that it was still daylight, and the eyes were simply the animals of the forest. She had learned all about them in her studies, so she could recognize the squirrels, the dear, and the birds. When a rabbit came up to her, she startled at the creature rubbing its nose next to her face, and they scattered.

"Oh, do not go away." Starfire said as she felt her confidence return. "I am sorry, I did not mean to frighten you. I was just being surprised. I was very frightened, and all because I was being afraid of things that weren't really scary. I am most ashamed over the fuss that I have made. What do you do when things go wrong?"

The birds tweeted.

"Ooh!" Starfire said happily. "You sing a song!"

The birds chirped a yes.

" _Ah-ha-ha, ha, ha._ " Starfire sang, and the baby bird she'd helped before sang along.

 _Ah-ha-ha, ha, ha._

 _Ahhh… Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, ha._

The bird tried to follow along again, but he failed to hit Starfire's high notes, but Starfire just chuckled happily.

 _With a smile and a song,_

 _Life is just like a bright sunny day._

 _Your cares fade away._

 _And your heart is young._

 _With a smile and a song,_

 _All the world seems to waken anew,_

 _Rejoices with you._

 _As the sung is sung._

More animals came out to listen to Starfire's singing. A chipmunk came up and rested on Starfire's lap.

 _There's no use in grumbling_

 _When raindrops come tumbling._

 _Remember, you're the one_

 _Who can fill the world with sunshine._

She then petted a faun that had come up, and the rabbit who had come up to her before laid his head down on her legs.

 _When you smile and you sing,_

 _Everything is in tune and it's spring_

 _And life flows along,_

 _With a smile and a song._

The animals then all cheered, and Starfire felt that maybe things would not be so bad for her now.

* * *

That was fun.


	3. Whistle While You Work

Chapter Three: Whistle While You Work

"I really feel quite happy now." Starfire said with a smile. "I'm sure I'll get along somehow. Everything is going to be alright… But I do need a place to sleep at night."

She petted the bunny by her leg.

"I can't sleep in the ground like you." Starfire said. She then looked at the squirrels. "Or in a tree like you do, and I'm sure I could never fit in a bird's nest." Then she got a brilliant idea! "Maybe you know where I could stay in these woods!"

The birds and other animals all made their respective ways of saying yes.

"You do?!" Starfire said with a smile. She wasn't sure if that would really work. "Will you take me there?"

The birds and dear then led Starfire to a small cabin as Starfire flew there to make it easier to keep up. When she saw the cabin, she noticed that it looked quite modest.

"Oh it is most adorable!" Starfire said in delight. "It looks just like a house for dolls!"

Starfire then walked up to the house.

"I like it here." Starfire then looked into the window, but she couldn't make out anything inside. "It's dark in there."

Starfire then knocked. Nothing happened. Maybe no one heard her. She knocked again, but it was too hard, and the door fell, SMASH on the ground.

"Oops." Starfire said. "I guess I was being too confident."

She went in with the animals.

"Hello?" She called out. No one answered. "I guess no one is being home."

Starfire walked around and figured that she could just stay and wait for the people to come home. She noticed several toys on the ground and thought, _Maybe I could be their K'norfka and take care of their child… Or children._

Starfire then squealed with delight as she saw a small chair. She looked down at it as the animals came in too.

"What a cute little chair!" Starfire said. She then noticed that there were several more. "Wait a moment, there are seven little chairs. There must be seven little children here." She then looked at a very messy table with cups, plates, and all manner of left over garbage on the table. "And from the look of the table seven untidy little children."

She walked over and saw what was on there.

"Toys at the table." Starfire said as she picked up a small bat-shaped boomerang small enough for a ten-year-old to play with. She then saw a sock. "A sock too?!" Starfire then opened a pot and took out, "A shoe?"

Starfire whistled with the birds. She then walked to the fire place.

"Covered in dust, of course." Starfire blew, and several chipmunks sneezed. "And cobwebs everywhere. A pile of dirty dishes in the sink, and just look at that broom!"

The broom laid there as if it hadn't ever been used.

"I doubt they've ever swept this room." Starfire said. "You'd think their mother would-" Then she stopped as she realized something. "Maybe they have no mother. Then they'd be orphans. Oh, those poor little children. Maybe we should clean the house, and surprise them when they come back from… Whatever they are doing… Then maybe they will let me stay."

Starfire then looked around, and her new friends did as well.

"Alright, squirrels, you wash the dishes." Starfire said. "And rabbits, tidy up the room. Deer, clean the fireplace, and I'll use the broom."

The birds then whistled to commence the large project Starfire had suggested.

 _Just whistle while you work._

 _And cheerfully together we can tidy up this place._

 _So hum a merry tune._

 _It won't take long when there's a song to help us set the pace._

The singing actually did keep everyone lively enough to keep on track. Starfire was easily sweeping the room and flying up to deal with the cobwebs. The squirrels used rags and their own tails to wash the dishes, and the dear used their tails to dust the fireplace, and the stags used their antlers to help the smaller animals make Starfire's job easier by dusting the walls and everywhere they could reach.

 _And as you sweep the room_

 _Imagine that the broom is someone that you love_

 _And soon you'll find you're dancing to the tune._

"Oh, no, no." Starfire said as one of the fauns was trying to clean a plate by licking it. "Those go in the tub."

Starfire then handed a plate to the squirrel, and he put it there.

"Why don't you help your parents?" Starfire asked.

The dear smiled and cleaned the fire place with his mother.

As a rabbit was pushing dirt under the rug, Starfire caught them.

"Nah-uh." Starfire said kindly but firmly. "Pushing dirt under a rug is not cleaning."

The rabbits then moved the rub and pushed the dirt out of the house.

"Yes, that is much better." Starfire said with a smile as she scratched behind the rabbit's ear.

Starfire and a few of the squirrels then got to work cleaning a large organ. She figured she could learn to play it for the children. The birds then brought in flowers to liven up the room and used a pouch they'd brought to water the flowers.

With the house cleaned up, everyone then helped put away the clothes and the toys. As the toys were put away, the stag helped Starfire take the clothes she couldn't carry, which wasn't very much, and she and several raccoons began washing the clothes, and Starfire hung them to dry. She noticed that they were very odd clothes. One shirt was gray with a black bat on it. There was a long red cloth that Starfire figured must be for drying the children off. She shrugged and guessed that they had a range of different tastes in clothing.

 _So whistle while you work._

After finishing cleaning, Starfire relaxed by the wall and found a book entitled, _The Magician's Nephew_ by an odd man who was named C dot S dot Lewis.

* * *

Is there anything Disney animals can't do?


	4. Heigh-Ho

Chapter 4: Heigh-Ho

In a cave deep in the mountains, seven children were working to get some precious stones to be able to survive in the world. Originally, they were part of the Justice League and the Teen Titans, literally, they were parts of the members, but after they helped the witch Morgaine LeFey defeat her deranged son, Mordred, she had separated the kid forms she had created to fight him and forced them to remain in the woods in case she ever felt like taking care of children after taking care of her vegetable son got old. They personally hoped she never would.

The leaders were child forms of the Justice League members, Batboy, Superboy, Wonder Girl, and the Green Lantern. They were physically ten but held the same memories as their adult counterparts far away in the city of Metropolis. Right under them was a nine-year-old version of the hero known as Cyborg and an eight-year-old version of the hero Raven. At the bottom of the chain of command was a seven-year-old version of Beast Boy. They still wore the same outfits their adult selves wore, but they were obviously smaller and slimmer. To make things go by quicker, and to stop Beast Boy from complaining, they sang a work song, which only Batboy objected to.

 _We dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig_

 _In our mine the whole day through._

 _To dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig_

 _Is what we have to do._

" _It's not a trick._ " Superboy said as he used his heat vision to easily cut through the walls. " _You get rich quick._ "

" _If you dig-dig-dig with a shovel or a pick._ " Batboy said as he dug out a diamond the size of Albert Einstein's brain.

" _In a mine._ " Cyborg said as his echo repeated, " _In a mine._ "

" _In a mine!_ " Wonder Girl repeated as she liked the way the echo sounded. " _In a mine!_ "

 _Where a million diamonds…_

 _Shine!_

As they blinked in wonder, Raven was driving a cart with her abilities as she was reading a book called _The Once and Future King_.

 _We dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig_

 _From morning until night._

Raven saw a fly buzzing around and smashed him by having him run head first into a wall.

 _We dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig_

 _Up everything in sight._

Raven then dropped the diamonds in front of Green Lantern, who used his ring to see how good the diamonds were. If they weren't good, he'd toss them on the floor.

 _We dig up diamonds by the score._

 _Diamonds rubies sometimes more._

 _And we're not sure what we dig them for._

 _We dig-dig-diggity-dig._

Beast Boy's job was to sweep up the rejects and throw them in a landfill. As he watched Green Lantern observe a very large diamond, he picked up two of them. A few minutes later, he tugged on Green Lantern's sleeve, and he turned around to see Beast Boy with the diamonds in his eyes. Green Lantern then knocked the diamonds out with a slight thump on the head.

Green Lantern then looked at the clock to see that it was already five in the afternoon.

" _Heigh-ho!_ " Green Lantern called as a way to sound the end of the day.

" _Heigh-ho!_ " Everyone called back to show they heard. They then headed back home.

 _Heigh-ho! Heigh-ho! Heigh-ho!_

They then walked off with about three diamonds each to tide them over for a while.

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _It's home from work we go._

The rest of the diamonds were then put into a safe as Beast Boy put the key in his pocket to keep safe until the next day.

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _It's home from work we go._

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _Heigh-ho, hum._

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _It's home from work we go._

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _Heigh-ho,_

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _It's home from work we go._

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _Heigh-ho,_

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _It's home from work we go._

 _Heigh-ho, heigh-ho._

 _Heigh-ho, heigh-ho._

 _Heigh-ho._

* * *

Yeah, that's what I'm using for the dwarves. Deal with it.

No flaming if you don't like it by the way.


	5. Meeting Starfire

Chapter 5: Meeting Starfire

As night fell, the animals returned to their home except for a few birds and the family of deer.

"Let's see what's upstairs." Starfire said, and she went up to find a bedroom with seven beds. "Oh what adorable beds, and they have their names carved on them." Starfire then proceeded to read the names. "'John' 'Wonder Girl' 'Superboy' 'Beast Boy'" Starfire giggled good-naturedly. "What funny names for children. 'Batboy', 'Cyborg', and 'Raven'." Starfire then yawned. "I better be hitting the hay."

Starfire then laid down across Wonder Girl, Superboy, and Beast Boy's beds as the deer went to sleep on the floor. The birds then put the candle out with their tails and covered Starfire up before flying down stairs.

Suddenly, the deer were awakened by the sounds of people coming, and they returned to the forest for fear of being attacked by the cottage's inhabitants.

()()()()()

The group returned home as John led the way by using his ring as a flashlight.

"Look!" John suddenly said as he stopped abruptly and everyone slammed into him. "Our house. The light's lit!"

Everyone then snuck to the side and looked at the house.

"Jiminy Cricket." Beast Boy said in a low whisper as he looked.

"The door's open." John pointed out as light was coming through the doorway.

"Looks like smokes coming from the chimney." Cyborg said.

"Something's in there." Superboy remarked.

"You don't think it's LeFey, do you?" Wonder Girl asked.

"Could be anything." Cyborg said.

"It's definitely human sized, but I can't tell exactly what it is." Superboy said as he used his x-ray vision to look into the house.

"Oh man, we're in trouble." Cyborg said.

"Either way, something's up." Batboy said. "We better approach it carefully."

"How?" Beast Boy asked.

"Let's sneak up on it." Wonder Girl said.

"Right." John said. "Follow me."

They nervously snuck to the house and went inside. John slowly opened the door which appeared to creek louder than it normally did, but they just put that off to nerves. They then tip-toed in as Beast Boy slammed the door shut.

"SHH!" They all hissed at Beast Boy.

"SHH!" Beast Boy hissed at the door.

"We better search every nook and cranny." John said.

"Yeah, and we should search everywhere too." Beast Boy said, which earned him a slap from Raven.

"Ouch!" Beast Boy exclaimed.

"Guys, be quiet." Batboy hissed.

As John, Superboy, and Raven checked one area of the house, John looked down and gasped.

"Look at the floor!" John called out in surprise. "It's been swept!"

"Who on Earth would break into a house to sweep a floor?" Raven asked incredulously.

Batboy rubbed a finger against one of the chairs at the table and looked.

"The chair's been dusted." He observed.

"The windows are all washed." Wonder Girl stated.

"No cobwebs anywhere." Cyborg stated.

"The whole place is cleaner than an operating room." John said in surprise.

"Someone's definitely been in here." Batboy said. "We're lucky if we manage to clean the place once a week, and we never get it this clean. There's dirty work a foot."

"The sink's empty." Superboy said as he looked inside with Raven. "Guys, someone stole our dishes."

"No they didn't!" Wonder Girl said exasperatedly. "They just cleaned them and put them in the cupboard."

"Yeash, if we end up finding that Courtney Cox lady from Friends, I'm gonna laugh." Raven said.

"Hey, they washed my cup!" Cyborg groaned as he ran his finger around it. "No more sugar!"

"Good." Raven said. "The last thing we need is you all hopped up on sugar again."

Wonder Girl and Beast Boy approached a bubbling pot.

"Something's cooking in there." Wonder Girl said as she sniffed. "And it smells pretty good."

Wonder Girl made to grab a ladle when Batboy grabbed her hand and pulled her away.

"Are you stupid?!" Batboy asked. "That could be poison!"

As if on cue, the pot hissed.

"AHH!" Beast Boy exclaimed as he turned into a chicken.

"Why do I bother?" Batboy said.

John then drew everyone's attention to the table.

"Look what happened to the table!" John said as Cyborg picked up some golden rods that were there.

"Hey cool, flowers." Cyborg said. "Look at this Sup, golden rods."

"Oh no!" Superboy said as his nose began to get stuffed up. "My nose, I've had hay fever for the last few weeks! You know I can't stand it, Cy! I ca- I coo- I c-"

"HIT THE DECK!" Batboy called out. As Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Raven ducked, Batboy, Wonder Girl, and John held their fingers to his nose.

"Phew." Superboy said. "Thanks guys… AH CHOO!"

The other six were then blown into the wall.

"Sweet Hera!" Wonder Girl exclaimed before she put her hand over her mouth. "Please pardon my language."

"A very fine time you picked to sneeze!" Batboy whispered angrily at Superboy, his best friend.

"I couldn't help it!" Superboy whispered back. "When you've gotta, you've gotta… Uh-oh. I've gotta again.

"GRAB HIM!" Batboy called out. They pounced on Superboy and tied his cape around his nose, which served to muffle his sneeze and stop any more accidental super-breaths.

"Thanks." Superboy said. Everyone's first thought was that he looked like that member of the Justice League called Vigilante.

"We've gotta keep quiet." Batboy said. "We could all end up living with LeFey if we're not careful."

They then heard an odd sound from upstairs.

"Whatever's in here is up there." John said.

"In the bedrooms." Wonder Girl said.

"Uh-oh." Beast Boy exclaimed.

"Someone's gotta go up and chase whatever's up there down." John said.

They all nodded their heads, and six of them looked at Beast Boy as he looked behind him before remembering that there were only seven of them.

"Me?" Beast Boy asked in a squeaky whisper.

Beast Boy tried to creep off before he was grabbed by Batboy and Superboy. They then pulled him in front of John as he held up a flash light that he'd turned on and was shaking as bad as Beast Boy.

"Here." John said nervously. "Take it. Don't be nervous."

John then mustered his own courage and put the flash light in Beast Boy's hand and shoved him up the stairs. At the landed outside of the bedrooms, Beast Boy turned around to look at the others several steps below him.

"Don't be afraid." John said. "We're right behind you."

"Yeah." They all said. "Right behind you."

"Mm." Beast Boy said nervously as he walked up and entered the bed room. In the light of the flash light, Beast Boy saw something groan sleepily as it stretched underneath several sheets.

"AHHHHH!" Beast Boy called out and ran down the stairs.

"Here it comes!" Batboy said as he got a batarang ready before they were all bowled over by something, and they ran straight out of the door. Beast Boy then tried to follow, but the door wouldn't open.

"It's trying to get out!" John screamed!

"Don't let it out!" Batboy said calmly.

"Hold it shut!" Superboy added.

This added greatly to Beast Boy's fears that the creature and woken up. He didn't dare look behind him and tried harder to open the door until the door knob broke off, and Beast Boy fell into several pots and pans that landed all over him. Now sure that the creature had woken up, he ran for his life right out the door. This was the scariest night of his life!

()()()()()

Outside the cottage, everyone waited in the trees for the creature, whatever it was, to attack. They pounced down on what appeared to be some kind of metal creature and kept attacking until John realized something.

"Hold on guys!" John shouted. "It's only Beast Boy."

"Yeah, it's only-D'oh!" Beast Boy exclaimed as Raven hit him again with her stick. "What was that for?!"

"Scaring me for no good reason." Raven retorted.

"Did you see it?" Superboy asked?

"Yeah!" Beast Boy said panting.

"How big is it?" Wonder Girl asked.

"Huge!"

"What was it?" Batboy asked.

"A dragon!" Beast Boy said as the creature was large enough to be.

"Has it got horns?" Superboy asked.

"Yeah!"

"Was it breathing fire?" John asked.

"Yeah!" Beast Boy said.

"Was it drooling?" Cyborg asked.

"Yeah!" Beast Boy said.

"Stop saying yeah and tell us what it was doing!" Raven shouted.

"It was sleeping." Beast Boy said.

"A monster's asleep in our beds?!" John exclaimed.

"Let's get it while it's sleeping." Batboy proposed.

"Good idea." Wonder Girl said.

"Let's go!" Superboy proclaimed and they went off.

They made it back to the bedroom and opened the door to see the thing yawning again, and it was covering Superboy, Wonder Girl, and Beast Boy's beds.

"Great Krypton!" Superboy exclaimed.

"Hera above!" Wonder Girl added.

"What a monster." Superboy said.

"No kidding." Cyborg replied. "It's covering three beds."

"Let's get it before it wakes up!" John whispered.

"Which end do we get?" Wonder Girl asked, but everyone shushed her.

They then surrounded the creature and prepared to fight when John lifted the sheet, and they all stopped.

It wasn't a monster. It was a very lovely girl who was… Orange. With red hair, and she was in a light violet outfit.

"Judas Priest!" John exclaimed.

"What is it?" Wonder Girl asked.

"It's a Tamaranian girl." John said.

"She's really pretty." Superboy said.

"She looks like an angel." Cyborg said.

"Angel?" Batboy said. "She's a Tamaranian, and she's on Earth. What would someone like her be doing here?"

"Shh!" John said. "You'll wake her up."

"Let her wake up then." Batboy said. "She's trespassing."

"Hey, she's moving!" Superboy said nervously.

"She's waking up!" Wonder Girl said.

"What do we do?!" Superboy asked.

"Hide!" John said, and they ducked down as the girl yawned and got up.

()()()()()

"Oh my…" Starfire said with a yawn as she got up. "Just what I needed. I wonder if the children are-"

Starfire then looked down and gasped in pleasant surprise as she saw the children.

"Oh you are looking so cute." Starfire said like a babysitter. The children then stood up, and she saw that they were in several outfits. Maybe they were play acting. "How are you doing?" Starfire asked, but none of them answered. "I said 'How are you doing?'"

"How are we doing what?" Said a boy dressed in gray with a black mask covering his eyes and face.

"Oh you can talk!" Starfire said excitedly. "I am so glad!"

"Now do not tell me who you are, let me guess." Starfire said. "Now you…" She said as she looked at a boy who was very, very tan. "You are… John."

"Oh, yes." John said with a nervous smile.

Starfire then looked at a boy who appeared to be half-machine, and it clicked instantly.

"You are Cyborg." Starfire said.

"Y-yeah." Cyborg said as he blushed.

"And you…" Starfire said as she looked at a girl with purple hair, purple eyes, and a white leotard with a matching cloak. "You are… Raven?"

"How'd you guess, the big raven head in my clasp?" Raven asked sarcastically.

"Yes." Starfire said. She then turned to a boy in a blue jump suit with a red cape and the letter S on his chest. "And you are Superboy."

"Yeah." Superboy said as he smiled and rubbed the back of his neck.

"And you are…" Starfire said as she turned to a girl with long black hair.

"Wonder Girl, ma'am." Wonder Girl said. "And this is Beast Boy."

"Hi." Beast Boy said nervously.

"Don't worry, he's shy around strangers." Wonder Girl explained.

"Oh, that is too bad." Starfire said as she smiled, and Beast Boy smiled nervously as well. She then turned to the last boy. He folded his arms moodily, but not before Starfire saw the image of a bat on his shirt.

"Oh…" Starfire said deepening her voice to try and get the boy to smile. "You must be Batboy."

"She's good at this." John said.

"We know who we are." Batboy said shortly. "What we don't know is who _you_ are and what _you're_ doing here."

"Oh how silly of me." Starfire said as she blushed. "I am Starfire of Tamaran."

"Starfire?!" Everyone asked. "The princess?!"

"Yeah." Starfire said with a smile.

"Well your highness." John said respectively. "We're honored hosts. We're… Uh…"

"Mad as hornets!" Batboy interrupted.

"Mad as hornets!" John said before shaking his head.

"Wait, no we're not." John said. "Ah, what was I saying?!"

"Nothing, just sputtering like an idiot as usual!" Batboy said.

"Hey who's sputtering like an idiot!" John asked angrily.

"That's enough you two." Superboy said as he flew imbetween the two.

"I say we tell her to get out." Batboy said.

"Please don't send me away." Starfire pleaded. "If you do, she'll kill me."

"Kill you?" Superboy asked.

"Who?" John asked.

"My elder sister Queen Blackfire." Starfire stated.

"BLACKFIRE?!" Everyone asked.

"She's wicked!" Cyborg said.

"She's bad!" Wonder Girl agreed.

"She's mean!" Superboy added.

"She's a vain and power-hungry witch." Batboy said calmly. "I'm warning all of you. If Blackfire finds out she's here, on this planet, she'll tear the whole place apart just because of Starfire being here."

"But she does not even know where I am." Starfire said.

"Oh yeah?" Batboy asked. "Well from all the stories I've heard, she has enough black magic to easily figure out where someone is, and it doesn't take magic to make someone invisible. For all we know she's in this room right now."

"Oh my god!" Beast Boy said before he looked down Wonder Girl's shirt to look for Blackfire, and Wonder Girl punched him in the face.

"Oh she would never find me here." Starfire said cheerfully. "And if you let me stay, I will do the cleaning and keeping of the house for you. I can wash, sow, sweep, cook-"

"COOK?!" Everyone said at the same time as they were tired of Batboy and Superboy buying them cereal from some town.

"Can you make apple dumplings?" John asked.

"Yes." Starfire said. "And plum pudding, and goose berry pie-"

"GOOSE BERRY PIE?!" Everyone called out. "Hooray! She stays!"

Batboy rubbed his temples. He didn't think any good would come out of this.

* * *

Well Batboy's trusting, isn't he?


	6. Washing Up Before Supper

Chapter 6: Washing Up Before Supper

All the talk about cooking reminded Starfire about the pot she'd put on the stove. She flew down and opened it up as she took a sip of what she was making.

The seven children then walked out and sniffed.

"SOUP!" They called out and rushed down. They then sat down and fought over the bread, except Beast Boy, who was fighting to try and get a seat.

"Uh-uh-uh." Starfire said, before anyone could have a bite. "Wait a moment. Supper's not quite ready yet, so you'll have just enough time to wash."

"Wash?" Everyone asked. They'd only washed about once a week as that seemed enough.

"I knew there was a catch." Batboy muttered.

"Why do we gotta wash?" Cyborg asked the gang in low voices, so Starfire wouldn't hear.

"We're not going anywhere." Wonder Girl said.

"It's not New Year or Christmas." John agreed.

"Oh, have you washed already?" Starfire asked.

"Uh… Yes." John said.

"Okay, when?" Starfire asked with her hands on her hips.

"When?" John asked. "When? Um… Last week, no month, no I mean… Recently."

"Yes." They all said. "Recently."

"Oh, recently." Starfire said with a coy smile. "Then let me see your hands."

They all gulped and held their hands behind their backs.

"Let me see your hands." Starfire said firmly as if she was their mother.

John sighed and removed his gloves to show fairly dirty hands.

"Why John." Starfire said. "I'm surprised at you."

"Ah… Well…" John said nervously.

"Come on, let's see them." Starfire said, and Cyborg showed fairly dirty hands.

"Oh Cyborg, if you don't wash your hands, how do you expect to keep working?" Starfire asked. "And you, Superboy?"

Superboy then showed his hands to be among the dirtiest ones so far.

"Tch, tch, tch." Starfire said.

Before she got to her, Wonder Girl rubbed her hands against her legs and showed them to her, sure that it would work.

"It's worse than I thought." Starfire said as she looked at Wonder Girl's _extra_ dirty hands.

Beast Boy eagerly took off his gloves to show her, and they were, maybe the cleanest, but still very dirty.

Raven then showed her hands, and for someone who spent most of their day holding a book, it was hard to believe how dirty they'd gotten.

"How shocking!" Starfire exclaimed before Raven looked down and hid her hands in her cloak. "This'll never do. Now you kids go straight outside and wash, or you will not get a bite to eat."

"Let's go." John said dejectedly.

Everyone except Batboy left, with Beast Boy slamming into wall because he was looking more at Starfire.

"Well," Starfire asked. "Aren't you going to wash?"

Batboy just turned his head away. Who did she think she was, his mother? She was only a few years older than him.

"What's the matter, cat got your tongue?" Starfire asked with a smile, and Batboy just walked out to get away from her for a few minutes.

He then ended up slamming his face into a door.

"Oh, did you hurt yourself?" Starfire asked, but Batboy just kept walking until he was out of the house. "Aliens!" He muttered.

()()()()()

"Okay guys, courage." John said. "Don't be nervous."

"Are we really gonna do this?" Cyborg asked.

"Well, it'll please Starfire." John said.

"I'm sure she has our best interests at heart." Wonder Girl said.

"Me too." Everyone else agreed.

"I'm telling you guys," Batboy said. "Give that girl an inch, and she'll walk all over you."

"Ah, don't listen to that sour puss." John said dismissively. "Come on, guys."

"How hard should we scrub?" Superboy asked.

"Will our fingers shrink?" Raven asked with a yawn.

"Should we get in the tub?" Beast Boy asked.

"Should we wash where it doesn't show?" Cyborg asked.

"Now don't get excited, here we go." John explained.

 _Step up to the tub._

 _It's not a disgrace._

 _Just pull up your sleeves,_

 _And get 'em in place._

 _Then scoop up the water,_

 _And rub it on your face,_

 _And go, blurb, blurb, blurb!_

John went first to demonstrate, and everyone else did as he did.

 _Pick up the soap,_

 _Now don't try to bluff._

 _Work up a lather,_

 _And when you get enough,_

 _Get a handful of water._

 _You snout and you snout,_

 _And so, blurb, blurb, blurb._

 _Get doused and soused._

 _Rub and scrub._

 _Splutter and splash all over the tub._

 _You may be cold and wet when you're done,_

 _But you've gotta admit, it's gonna be fun._

A fly came around Raven and she tricked it into going onto the soap where it ended up looking like Santa clause because of the suds.

 _So splash with all your might._

 _It's not any trick._

 _As soon as you're through,_

 _You'll feel mighty slick._

" _You bunch of nanny goats make me sick going, blurb, blurb, blurb!"_ Batboy stated.

They then washed up their hair after washing their hands and faces as they figured they should do it right, but they'd save a proper bath for tomorrow evening.

"Next thing you know, she'll be having us dress up in sailor outfits or pink dresses, as the case may be, and squirt us all with that perfume stuff." Batboy said.

"I don't wanna wear pink." Raven said.

"Oh don't listen to Bruce." Wonder Girl said. "He's just being a big grump."

Beast Boy then turned into a baby elephant to blow out all the water he'd accidentally swallowed.

"A nice group of water-lilies you guys turned out to be." Batboy said with a smirk as John looked up. "I'd like to see anybody make me wash if I didn't wanna."

John then smiled mischievously as he whispered to the others. They all smiled and walked up to Batboy as they whistled.

"GET HIM!" John shouted out, and they all held Batboy up as Superboy, Wonder Girl, Cyborg and John held his limbs, so he couldn't get away.

"Hey let me go!" Batboy called out.

"Beast Boy, set the soap." John said.

"Okay!" Beast Boy said as he ran off. He grabbed the soap and was about to bring it when it slipped out of his hand, and he tried to catch it before it knocked him in the head. He then turned into a lion and tried to pounce on it, but it just slipped and went into his mouth as he turned back to normal. "Ah man!" Beast Boy called out. "And I didn't even say anything bad!"

He then hiccupped as several soap bubbles popped up.

Meanwhile, everyone else was giving Batboy a nice hands and face washing, taking off his mask to do it.

 _Now scrub good and hard._

 _It can't be denied,_

 _That he'll look might cool,_

 _As soon as he's dried._

 _With a scrap and a howl,_

 _And a blurb, blurb, blurb!_

Batboy was then let out as everyone laughed.

"He smells like a petunia." Superboy said with a laugh that was shared with everyone else.

"You sure look cute, Bruce!" Wonder Girl teased as she put his mask back on.

"Oh, you're all gonna pay for this!" Batboy shouted.

"Supper!" Starfire called out from the house.

"Supper!" They all called out and ran off, leaving Batboy woozy by the tub.

"Eh." Batboy said after awhile and walked in.

()()()()()

Blackfire walked back to the mirror that very night as Hawkman gave her the box with her heart in it.

"Oh mirror, mirror, on the wall, who _now_ is the fairest one of all?" Blackfire asked with a smug smile.

"Far off on the planet Earth, beyond the Seventh Fall, in the cottage of the Young Justice dwells Starfire. The fairest one of all." Slade said.

"Starfire's dead in a forest." Blackfire said with a smirk. "Hawkman, Katar Hol, had brought me prove." Blackfire opened the box and showed it to the mirror. "Behold, her heart."

"Starfire still lives, the fairest in the land." Slade insisted. "It's the heart of a pig you hold in your hands."

"The heart of a pig?!" Blackfire shouted as she threw the box down. "That hawk tricked me!"

Blackfire then walked down a secret flight of stairs to her lab as her servant from Earth, Red X waited.

"Whoa, who spit in your caviar?" Red X asked.

"Shut up!" Blackfire said. "That sentimental fool gave me the heart of a pig instead of Starfire's! Looks like if I want someone killed around here, I'll have to do it myself! I'll go to the brats' cottage in such a perfect disguise that no one will ever suspect it's me."

"How perfect?" Rex X asked.

"A potion." Blackfire said as she took a book labeled _Disguises_. "A potion to turn my beauty into a grimace. To change my queenly array into a peddler's cloak."

Blackfire found a perfect little recipe. It also had a 72 hour limit, which would give her time to make a perfect way to kill Starfire, and she'd just turn back to her beautiful self afterwards.

"Mummy dust, to make me old." Blackfire said as she grabbed said dust from a drawer. "To shroud my clothes, the black of night."

Blackfire put in the mummy dust and added a pitch black liquid that easily became the dominant color.

"To age my voice, an old hag's cackle." Blackfire said as she turned on a burner underneath a phial that held a red liquid. After it had been turned on, a bit of the red liquid shot up and laughed like an old crone and entered the goblet Blackfire had put the potion into. This turned the potion red.

"To whiten my hair, a scream of fright!" Blackfire turned the knob on a faucet, and a white substance poured out as a scream echoed throughout the chamber, and the potion was now a venomous green.

"A blast of wind to fan my age!" As Blackfire held the goblet to the window and wind suddenly blew through it, and over the goblet. "And a thunderbolt to mix it well!"

As if on cue, a thunderbolt sounded as the potion rippled and bubbled.

"Now…" Blackfire said calmly. "Begin thy magic spell."

Blackfire then consumed the concoction and gasped. The room appeared to be spinning, she saw her hair flying around her face and glimpsed it turning white as salt.

"My hands!" Blackfire called out as she looked at her hands and saw them become incredibly thin and claw-like. Her clothes also turned into a black musty cloak, and her very skin turned incredibly pale.

Blackfire sighed, hoping for the seventy-two hours to pass quickly and heard her own sigh.

"My voice." She croaked. Her voice had become high and raspy. "My voice…"

Blackfire laughed. The potion had worked. She looked into a mirror and saw an old hag with bulging green eyes and a long hook nose with a large wart on it.

"Yes!" Blackfire called out. "A perfect disguise!"

Blackfire turned to Red-X who backed into a wall.

"HOLY CAP!" Red-X called out.

"And now…" Blackfire said as she pulled out a book on death potions. "A special sort of death for one so fair."

"AH!" She called out very soon. "A poisoned apple. Laced with the draught of the sleeping death."

"Huh?" Red-X asked.

"'One taste of the poisoned apple, and the victim's eyes will close forever in the sleeping death…'" Blackfire said as she looked up and smirked wickedly. The Wicked Witch of the West had nothing on her.


	7. Someday My Prince Will Come

Chapter Seven: Someday My Prince Will Come

That night, after dinner, which even Batboy had to admit was delicious, the kids showed Starfire what they did after coming home from mines, have fun. They each played an instrument they did best with and simply sung nonsense, with Batboy playing the organ that Starfire saw earlier.

Wonder Girl then walked up and smiled.

" _I like to dance and tap my feat, but they won't keep in rhythm_." She sang. " _You see I washed them both today, and can't do a thing with them._ "

Everyone then chuckled at the choke and sang out,

 _Oh hum,da-doo-lee-dum!_

 _The words don't mean a thing!_

 _Isn't this a silly song for anyone to sing?_

Beast Boy then used several pots and pans as drums and did a nice trick where he pounded on the drums before hitting a cymbal with an elephant trunk. Cyborg then stood up.

"I…" He began. "Uh…"

Batboy then blew a loud note, and that snapped Cyborg to the alert.

" _I chased a pole cat up a tree._ " Cyborg said. " _Way out upon a limb, and when he got the best of me, I got the worst of him._ "

 _Oh hum, da-doo-lee-dum!_

 _The words don't mean a thing!_

 _Isn't this a silly song for anyone to sing?_

As the music continued, Raven was pestered by that fly again.

"Hey, go away!" She said.

The fly then bothered Beast Boy who ended up quickening the beat in his effort to get the fly. He only ended up panting as the fly landed on Raven's nose. She then made to swat it as Beast Boy gave her a cymbal, but she only succeeded in giving herself a big headache.

"Why you…" Raven said angrily, and Beast Boy ended up with a very bad wedgie.

Starfire then danced with each of the kids, except Batboy in turn.

Beast Boy then got on top of Superboy with a long cloak.

"Hey watch it!" Superboy said. "Don't tickle my nose!"

Beast Boy made sure to keep his feat still as he put the cloak over the two, with Beast Boy as the arms and legs and Superboy as the legs. They then walked up to Starfire, and she danced around a little, with Beast Boy only nearly falling off once before he was pulled back up by Superboy.

The dance went on and everyone had a great time until they heard a sneeze building up from underneath Beast Boy's feat.

"Uh-oh." Beast Boy said.

"Duck and cover!" Batboy called out, and everyone hid behind the organ.

"Mommy." Beast Boy squeaked as Superboy sneezed, and Beast Boy flew up into the ceiling and floated back down as a bird before turning back to normal.

Everyone laughed, and Starfire sat down.

"That was fun." Starfire said with a smile.

"Now it's your turn to do something." Wonder Girl said.

"What should I do?" Starfire asked.

"Tell us a story." Raven said.

"Yes, tell us a story!" The others called out.

"A true story!" Cyborg said.

"A love story!" Wonder Girl said as she looked at Batboy, who didn't return the gaze, but everyone saw a pink tinge in what they could see of his face.

"Well…" Starfire said before she remembered the day she met Robin. "Once there was a princess."

"Was the princess you?" John asked.

"And she fell in love." Starfire said with a nod.

"Was it hard to do?" Superboy asked.

"It was very easy." Starfire said with a laugh. "Anyone could see that the prince was charming. The only one for me."

"Was he strong and handsome?" John asked puffing out his chest.

"Was he big and tall?" Superboy asked as he flew up.

"There's nobody like him anywhere at all." Starfire said dreamily.

"Did he say he loved you?" Cyborg asked.

"Did he steal a kiss?" Wonder Girl asked.

" _He was so romantic, I could not resist._ " Starfire sang out.

Everyone except Batboy then sat down as Batboy leaned against a corner.

 _Someday, my prince will come._

 _Someday, we'll meet again._

 _And away to his castle we'll go,_

 _To be happy forever, I know._

"Hmph." Batboy muttered. "Mush."

Wonder Girl then managed to pull herself away from the story and pulled Batboy over to Starfire, with Batboy blushing even more.

 _Someday when spring is here,_

 _We'll find our love anew._

Raven was beginning to fall to sleep, just as if she was listening to a lullaby, even though she tried to resist it.

 _And the birds will sing,_

 _And wedding bells will ring,_

 _Someday when my dreams come true…_

Everyone then sighed as a clock began to chime eleven.

"Oh look at the time." Starfire said. "It must be way past all of our bedtimes."

"But I'm not sleepy…" Raven said as she yawned.

"Oh yes you are." Starfire said as she picked Raven up.

"No I'm not." Raven said as she made another yawn.

"Now, all of you, go to your room." Starfire said kindly.

"Wait a second." John said. "We can pretty much sleep anywhere. The princess will sleep in our room tonight."

"But where will you be doing the sleeping?" Starfire asked.

"Oh, we'll be fine down here." John said.

"In a pig's eye." Batboy muttered.

"Hey, stop that!" John said. "Don't worry. We'll be comfortable down here. Won't we, guys?"

"Oh yeah." They all said as Beast Boy grabbed a pillow and prepared to go to sleep on a bench.

"Don't worry about us." Wonder Girl said. "We'll be alright."

"Go right on up." John said.

"Well…" Starfire said. "If you insist. Good night."

"Good night princess." The children said.

"Are you sure you'll be comfortable?" Starfire.

"We'll be fine." Superboy said.

"Well, have pleasant dreams then." Starfire said as she went inside.

Once Starfire closed the door, they all headed for the pillow.

Unfortunately, it ended up ripping because everyone had dived at it. Beast Boy shrugged and turned himself into a dog as he went back to sleep on the bench.

()()()()()

In the children's room, Starfire was saying her evening prayers.

"Bless Katar Hol for saving my life, and please help my sister overcome her anger." Starfire prayed. "Bless the seven little children who have been so kind to me, and may all my dreams come true. Also, please help Batboy find it in his heart to like me. Amen."

Starfire then went to sleep on the same three beds she had taken her nap in.

()()()()()

"Aliens!" Batboy said as he tried to get himself comfortable in the pot that Starfire's soup had been before he felt something poking in his back and pulled out the ladle. "This has been a fine kettle of fish."

He tossed the ladle onto the floor and began to go to sleep.

Cyborg was recharging near a drawer. Wonder Girl was sleeping on top of the drawer. John was sleeping in the sink, getting a small drop of water in his mouth too. Superboy was sleeping on top of Beast Boy, but he woke up when Beast Boy was whimpering like the dog he turned himself into before Superboy poked him in the hind leg, and he went back to sleeping peacefully.

Batboy went back to sleep as he was used to their snores by now, but the only thing he wasn't used to was someone whimpering, and Raven did just that. She was fretting like a toddler as she squirmed in bed. Batboy easily knew what had happened. Raven's stuffed rabbit, Bunny, was upstairs in the bed room. Normally, if Raven didn't have Bunny, Batboy or Wonder Girl would go and get it for her, but Wonder Girl was out like a light, and Batboy didn't feel like looking for a stuffed rabbit up in the bed room with Starfire there, so he just got out of the pot, walked up to Beast Boy and tickled his nose from a stray feather from the pillow. He sneezed and inadvertently turned into a bunny. Batboy then picked Beast Boy up and put him in Raven's arms, as they both slept contentedly while Raven petted Beast Boy.

Finally with some variation of peace and quiet by now, Batboy hopped back into the pot and fell asleep.

()()()()()

Meanwhile, the old hag that would be Blackfire for the next few days dipped an apple into a potion she had spent several hours making.

"Dip the apple in the brew." Blackfire chanted. "Let the sleeping death seep through."

She then picked the apple up, and it had turned black with the green potion clinging to it dripped away until it made a skull image.

"Yes!" Blackfire said wickedly. "Under skin, a symbol of what lies within. Now turn red to tempt Starfire and make her hunger with desire."

Blackfire then smirked and looked at the now beautifully red apple in her hand, sort of an opposite of her. Something ugly disguised as something delicious.

Blackfire chuckled and got a mischievous look on her artificially aged face.

"Have a bit, sweetie!" Blackfire said as she shoved the apple into Red-X's face.

"BWAH!" Red-X said as he backed away.

"Oh, you know it's not for you." Blackfire said as she tickled Red-X's chin with her claw like finger. "It's for Starfire. When she breaks the tender skin to taste this apple, her breast will still, her blood congeal, and I'll be the fairest in the land!"

"As soon as that disguise wears off." Red-X said before Blackfire starred him down.

"Wait a minute." Blackfire said as a sudden thought crossed her mind. "There may be an antidote. Nothing can be over-looked!"

Blackfire looked at her book again and found what she was looking for.

"Here it is!" Blackfire said. "'The victim of the sleeping death can be revived only by love's first kiss.' 'Love's first kiss'? Blackfire said with a sneer before closing the book. "No fear of that. Those brats will think she's just dead. She'll end up buried alive!"

She then walked down a secret stairway.

"Sweet Neptune, what's that girl's problem?!" Red-X asked as the door closed.

()()()()()

Blackfire then made her way to a secret ship as she looked at a long dead captive of the dungeon that appeared to be reaching for water.

"Thirsty?" Blackfire asked the skeleton that was left of the prisoner. "Have a drink!"

Blackfire then kicked the jug, and the skeleton smashed to pieces. She then got onto the ship and rested as she thought about what she would do once Starfire was out of the way. Maybe she'd seduce that little beau Starfire met just to spite her soon to be buried alive sister.

In a few days, Blackfire landed on Earth and saw the ruined husk of the boar Katar Hol had killed to trick Blackfire. She'd deal with the Thanagarian and his family after this. She only had about five hours left before the disguise wore off, and she knew Starfire would never _accept_ an apple from _her_.

* * *

Aw… Batboy has a heart.

Batboy: Shut up!


	8. The Wishing Apple

Chapter Eight: The Wishing Apple

A few days later, the kids left to dig up more diamonds. The last couple of days had been very nice and peaceful. Batboy had consented to teaching Starfire how to play the organ, Superboy had finally managed to get over his hay fever and regain control over his super breath, Raven had become much more open to Starfire, and Wonder Girl kept making googily eyes at Batboy every night and referring to him as Bruce.

"Ha-ha!" Beast Boy had laughed. "Bruce?"

"You wanna make something of it, _Garfield_?" Batboy had said back.

Today, they all prepared to leave as they needed some more diamonds for money.

"Now don't forget Star," John had said. "Blackfire's sly and full of witchcraft, so beware of strangers."

"Do not worry." Starfire said with a smile. "I shall be alright."

Starfire then kissed John on the head.

"See you tonight, and remember to wash up before dinner." Starfire said.

"Uh… Yes…" John gasped with a nervous smile. "Come on, guys."

"I hope you'll be really careful." Cyborg said. "Why if anything happened-"

Starfire then kissed him on the head, and he blushed so much, you'd think he had more blood than he actually did.

"Good-bye." Starfire said cheerfully.

"Ah, gee!" Cyborg said as he walked off.

"That is disgusting." Batboy muttered from the back of the line.

"And be sure to watch out." Superboy said as he left, and Starfire kissed him. "Thanks."

Beast Boy later came up and tugged on Starfire's skirt as he puckered up. Starfire smiled kindly, gently bent Beast Boy's head down, and kissed him. He then left and came back just a few moments later.

"Oh alright." Starfire said with a chuckle as she kissed him on the head. "But that's the last-"

Beast Boy then ran off like a cheetah and came back as one too, except as a cub.

"Oh, run along." Starfire said with a chuckle, and Beast Boy went off.

"Bye." Raven said as she was holding _The Magician's Nephew_ in her hand. "Now remember, you promised we could talk about this book when we get home."

"Yes, I remember." Starfire said before kissing Raven on the cheek and she walked off.

Batboy took his mask off and put up some stray bangs before putting his mask back on.

Wonder Girl then received a kiss on the cheek and walked off as she helped Raven along.

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _It's off to work we go._

Batboy then coughed to let Starfire know he was there.

"Now I'm warning you." Batboy said as he removed his mask. "Don't let anyone or _anything_ in this house unless you know them like the back of your hand."

"Why Batboy," Starfire said with a smile. "You do care."

Starfire then kissed Batboy on the forehead, and he put his mask back on and walked off before he stopped and smiled a little. It was just like what his mom had done when he was the real Bruce Wayne. He shook his head and walked off.

()()()()()

Blackfire walked slowly to the cottage as she chuckled to herself. Only an hour left, and Starfire was an easy five minutes' walk away.

"Those little brats won't be at home." Blackfire chuckled evilly. "And she'll be on her own. With a harmless old peddler woman." She chuckled again. "A _harmless_ old peasant woman."

()()()()()

Starfire decided to use this time to make some goose-berry pies for the children as a surprise and began making the last one after putting the other six on the table.

 _Someday my prince will come._

 _Someday we'll meet again._

 _And away to his castle we'll go._

 _To be happy forever I know._

She then placed the top of the pie on the last one and cut off the excess with a small knife. After that, she put the crust she cut off and put it on top of the pie, so that it spelled, "Batboy".

 _Someday, when Spring is near,_

 _We'll find our love anew,_

 _And the birds will sing,_

 _And wedding bells will ring._

 _Someday, when my dreams come true…_

Starfire then looked up and gasped as she saw an old woman with a long hooked nose, greasy white hair, and bulging green eyes. Out of her black cloak, Starfire saw two hands that were so skinny that they looked more like claws.

"All alone my dear?" The old woman asked in a high raspy voice that seemed slightly familiar to Starfire.

"Uh…" Starfire said nervously. "Well yes I am."

"What?" The woman said in surprise. "But you're only a girl, you can't be older than sixteen. Aren't either of your parents or any little brothers or sisters around?"

"Well, my parents died when I was still being a little girl." Starfire said. "But the children are away for a little while."

"Hmm…" The old woman said. "Making pies?"

"Yes, goose-berry." Starfire said. "They're the children's favorite."

"Then they haven't tried apple pies." Blackfire said with a smile. "They can make any little child's mouth water. Made from nice apples, like these."

The old woman picked up an apple that was so beautifully red that Starfire couldn't help staring at it.

"They look delicious." Starfire said.

"Yes, but wait until you taste it." The old woman said sweetly. "Would you like to try one? Go on… Go on and have a bite."

Before Starfire could grab the apple, the birds began attacking the poor old woman.

"Hey, you leave her alone!" Starfire said as she threw a small star bolt into the air to frighten them off. "You should be ashamed of yourselves for attacking a poor old helpless lady like that!"

The woman made sure the apple was still alright, and Starfire put her arms on her shoulders.

"Are you being alright?" Starfire asked.

"Oh, my heart!" The woman said as she clutched her chest. "My poor heart. Get me into the house and give me a drink of water."

"Oh, of course." Starfire said as she helped the old woman inside.

()()()()()

The animals looked into the window and saw Starfire go off to get the old hag some water. They could tell that something wasn't quite right about her, and they saw her look at the apple and then at Starfire, and they knew something terrible would happen if she ate it. They then ran off towards a diamond mine where they knew the children were.

()()()()()

The children arrived at the mine and were about to get to work. They began to push a small track car full of any digging equipment they'd need, and Beast Boy accidentally shoved Raven inside.

"Ouch!" Raven said.

"Sorry." Beast Boy said meekly.

Suddenly, several animals arrived and began pulling at their capes and hair like there was no tomorrow.

"Get out of here!" Batboy said as he swatted some birds away from his cape.

"Hey, let go!" Beast Boy shouted as several birds were beginning to pull him away.

"What's going on here?!" John shouted as a doe was shoving John away from the mine.

"They've gone crazy!" Cyborg called out.

"No kidding." Superboy said as he blew, and the birds and squirrels that were pulling on his cape and feet were blown away, but they came right back.

()()()()()

Starfire had given the lady a drink of water, and she smiled kindly like a grandmother… Or at least how Starfire imagined grandmothers smiled as she never saw one.

"And because you've been so good to dear old Granny," the lady said kindly. "I'll let you in on a secret. This is no ordinary apple. It's a magic wishing apple."

"A wishing apple?" Starfire asked in awe.

"Yes." The lady said. "One bite, and all your dreams come true."

"Really?" Starfire asked as she thought of Robin and how she could finally be with him.

"Yes deary." The lady said. "Now make a wish and take a bite."

()()()()()

"Hey go away!" Wonder Girl shouted as a dear was holding her in his antlers and shoving her forward. "What's wrong with them?!"

"I don't know, but they're not acting like this for nothing." Batboy said as he swiped away several birds that nearly pulled his mask off.

"Uh-oh." Raven said as she finally managed to get herself out of the car. "What is that mean queen, Blackfire's got Starfire?"

"Blackfire?!" They all called out in alarm. "Starfire!"

"Blackfire will kill her!" Batboy called out in alarm. "We've gotta save her!"

"Yeah, we've gotta save her!" John shouted.

"She'll kill her!" Superboy shouted.

"What do we do?!" Wonder Girl asked.

"We go back to the house and save her!" Batboy said, and Superboy, Wonder Girl, Raven, and John flew off as Batboy and Cyborg rode on the stag and the doe while Beast Boy turned into a cheetah and ran off.

()()()()()

"There must be something your heart desires." The lady said. "Maybe someone you love?"

"Well, yes." Starfire said as she blushed.

"I thought so." The lady said with a laugh. "Old Granny knows a young girl's heart. Now take the apple deary and make your wish."

"I wish…" Starfire began.

"That's it." The lady said. "Go on. Don't be afraid."

()()()()()

Getting to the cottage proved much more difficult than they thought, especially for the people who were flying as their outfits got on low hanging branches, and twice, Beast Boy nearly fell to his death when he ran into a large gorge, but managed to survive by turning into an eagle.

()()()()()

"And that he will carry me away to his home, and we'll live happily ever after." Starfire said with a smile.

"Excellent wish my dear." Granny said. "Now take a bite."

()()()()()

The children hurried on as fast as they could.

()()()()()

"Don't let the wish grow cold." Blackfire said as all _her_ dreams were about to come true.

Starfire bit into the apple, and she smiled for a minute before staggering and holding her head.

"Oh… I feel strange." Starfire said weakly.

"Her breath will still." Blackfire said with a wicked smile as her fist began to become fuller and orange. "Her blood congeal."

Starfire fell to the ground asleep, but to all but the most observant, dead, and at that moment, the disguise wore off, and Blackfire was her lovely self again.

"NOW I'LL BE FAIREST IN THE LAND!" Blackfire called out with wicked glee.

* * *

Oh dear…


	9. Let the Punishment Fit the Crime

Chapter Nine: Let the Punishment Fit the Crime

Blackfire walked out as a storm quickly started. She was still laughing to herself when she saw seven children in odd outfits coming this way.

"And of course, something has to happen to complicate things." Blackfire said and she flew off to a place where she could have more room to fight and eventually landed at the peak of a mountain.

The children followed after her, and she put her hand by a boulder.

"Let's see how badly I can crush their bones." Blackfire said with a smirk, and she pushed the boulder.

"Look out!" A boy with a gray outfit called out. As the boulder came at them, a boy in blue flew up and smashed the boulder to pieces.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" Blackfire said as her eyes glowed purple. She then flew up as a bolt of lightning broke the ledge she was standing on and illuminated her face. "You know, my little sister doesn't believe in spankings, but I'm more of a fan of physical punishments. They really drive the message home."

Blackfire then fired a purple star bolt from her hand.

"Hide!" The boy in gray called out, and all seven children hid behind a wall.

"Come on out, kiddies." Blackfire said with a smirk. "We're not playing hide-and-seek you know."

()()()()()

Batboy gathered everyone around.

"Okay, our only chance to stop her is to surround her." Batboy explained. Clark, you, Diana, John, and Raven fly up, and cover her from behind. Cyborg, Beast Boy, and I attack from the front."

"Yeah, I'll make a lawnmower and chew her up!" John said.

"No lawnmower." Batboy said.

"Why not?" John asked.

"Because it's stupid!" Raven said.

"Raven, not now." Wonder Girl said calmly, and they split up as the ground unit ran up and dodged Blackfire's attacks while Cyborg and Batboy attacked with proton cannons and exploding disks respectively. Blackfire defended herself very well when the kids flew up, and Superboy tapped her shoulder.

"What?!" Blackfire asked, and Superboy punched her in the face.

"How could you?!" Blackfire cried out. "I'm a woman!"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Superboy said. "I…"

"Clark, look out!" Batboy said as he tied up Blackfire's hands with a grappling line, and Wonder Girl pulled her crown over her eyes.

"Hey, I can't see!" Blackfire said.

"That's the point." Batboy said. "And I have a nearby friend who can give you your just deserts."

They took the newly bound-up Blackfire to an imposing house as Batboy knocked, and Etrigan, the Demon, came out.

"What?" Etrigan asked.

"Etrigan, this lady killed Starfire." Batboy explained. "Superboy saw her body as we chased after her."

"Hmm…" Etrigan said. "I've heard a great deal about you, Blackfire. I've heard how vain and arrogant you are, and I've also heard of your jealousy of your little sister."

"Let me go!" Blackfire called out as she turned her head in the direction of Etrigan.

"Very well." Etrigan said. "But only after your punishment for your crime starts."

Etrigan picked Blackfire up as easily as if she was a new born baby. He then chanted, and Blackfire disappeared.

"What did you do to her?" Batboy asked.

"I sent her to limbo for a few weeks for some _tough love_." Etrigan said.

"Eh?" Beast Boy asked.

"Come on…" Superboy said. "We better… We better pay our respects to Starfire."

Everyone looked down and walked off.

()()()()()

Blackfire found herself in a blue infinite limbo. She looked around when she heard the cough of her mother.

"Mom!" Blackfire said in alarm. "Oh my gosh, that thing killed me!"

"No he didn't." Blackfire's mother said firmly. "You're still alive, and you'll go back home after something I should've done when you were very little."

"Uh-oh." Blackfire said, and she was about to run off, when her mother grabbed her, pulled up her cloak, pulled down her skirt and started slapping her bare bottom.

"Oh!" Blackfire cried. "Stop that!"

"No!" Her mother said. She then gave Blackfire a hard slap on her rear. "That is for all that black magic stuff you wasted your allowance and your inheritance on." She then slapped Blackfire much harder. "That is for trying to kill your little sister!" She then gave her the hardest slap of all. "And that is for all the bad things you've done since you've been queen!"

"Please stop!" Blackfire cried.

"Alright, but we're far from done, Young Lady." Her voice then softened. "I'm not doing this because I prefer Starfire over you, I've loved both of you equally, but I have to admit that I've been disappointed in you for many years too. I'm going to put you back on the right track if it takes me a month, and then you'll go back home… After apologizing to your little sister."

The queen then set Blackfire down, and she found herself in a nursery, inside a crib to be exact.

"Right now, it's time for bed." Blackfire's mother said.

"But-" Blackfire said.

"Bed, young lady." The queen said. "We'll talk in the morning."

Blackfire reluctantly lay down and went to sleep. A small part of her had to admit that her mother was right. She had tried to kill her little sister. Someone who had never hurt her and had always looked up to her. Maybe she had been vain. Maybe she had mistaken her mother's look at Starfire for preference when it was really the loving first… And in her case last… Look at her new born baby. Her thoughts then drifted to dreams of what could have been. A much more loving Blackfire playing with her little sister. That image would eventually ground Blackfire on the straight and narrow for the rest of her days.

* * *

Yeah… I like Blackfire too much to kill her off. I just see so much good she could do.


	10. Love's First Kiss

Chapter 10: Love's First Kiss

At the cottage, the children put Starfire's limp and lifeless form on the table after setting it up with some of their bedding and lit candles for her. Everyone who wore a mask removed it. Wonder Girl pulled down her tiara, and they all had the same saddened expression.

Batboy was the first to break down and cry. He's failed again, just like when he was Bruce Wayne and his parents were killed.

Beast Boy cried too as John tried to comfort him.

Wonder Girl broke down as well and sobbed. Batboy, holding back his tears, picked Wonder Girl up and held her as she cried, and she held him as he cried.

Superboy and the others cried too, and Raven was held by Superboy as she cried.

Even the animals cried, with the sorrowful rain as well. The most fair, beautiful, and kind girl in the universe… Was gone.

()()()()()

Even in death, Starfire looked so lovely, the children couldn't find it in their hearts to bury her, so they used some excess gold they mined and bought a few sheets of glass and fashioned a coffin out of it, so that Starfire could be preserved, and everyone could see her ever-lasting beauty.

()()()()()

Now Robin, who had heard about the maiden from the stars who slept in a glass coffin, went to the area she was supposed to be at to find her and see if she was who he feared it would be.

 _One song, I had but one song._

 _One song, only for you._

 _One heart, steadily beating._

 _Constant and true._

 _One love that has possessed me._

 _One love, brimming with truth._

 _One song, my heart keeps singing._

 _Of one love, only for you._

Robin had arrived and walked down to find seven children dressed as Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Batman, and his teammates in the Teen Titans. He then looked at Starfire.

"Starfire." Robin said. "Is it alright if I give her a kiss?"

Everyone consented, and they lifted the glass case gently up, and Robin knelt down and kissed Starfire on the lips, knelt down, and mourned with the others.

Suddenly, wonder of wonders, Starfire awoke!

At first, everyone thought they were seeing things. Maybe just imagining Starfire bat her eyes, but when she sat up and looked around, and they saw her smile at Robin, they all knew that she was real.

"Robin!" Starfire called out as she jumped into Robin's arms and hugged him.

"Starfire!" Robin called out.

All the children cheered.

"Come with me." Robin said. "Join the Teen Titans, and we can be together all the time and help protect people."

"Oh, I would love to Robin!" Starfire was about to walk away when she turned to the children. "But what would be happening to the children if I left?"

"Hey, we'll be alright." Batboy said with a smile Robin knew the real Batman had lost the ability to have.

"Well…" Robin said with mock thinking. "I don't see why you guys can't come too."

"But how will we eat?" John asked.

"We manage." Robin said. "I hope you don't mind only eating cheese pizza."

"Eh, we're used to it." Batboy said as he pointed at Beast Boy.

"Alright, let's go." Robin said. "I'll probably have to call the others to give us a lift since I only brought my bike."

Everyone then walked to where Robin's bike was excitedly, and Starfire and Robin always held hands and starred at each other lovingly.

A few moments later, Robin's teammates, the real Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy arrived.

They all starred at their younger selves before shrugging their shoulders and opening their arms up to embrace their brand new younger siblings.

They then flew off to the Titan Towers where they all lived and hung out, and they all lived happily ever after, with some adventures strewn along the way of course.

* * *

Well that's it. I'm thinking of Pinocchio next.

Blackfire: Okay, the stories over. Starfire's happy now. Is my punishment over yet?

Queen: Almost.

Blackfire: Ah nuts.


End file.
